The Legend of Zelda: King of Hyrule
by Jamie Watt
Summary: Trapped in a world that isn't home, living a life that isn't his, Link has no choice but to once again do battle aginst the evil Ganon, but can he defeat a foe more powerful than anything he has faced yet?


**The Legend of Zelda  
  
King of Hyrule  
**  
By Jamie Watt  
  
DISCLAIMER - All Characters featured withing this story are © Nintendo, The story is a work of fiction and any similarity to events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental,  
  
Chapter 1 - The Fall of the Brave  
  
It was a hot summer in Hyrule and the towns were packed with people taking full advantage. Children were chasing dogs around the marketplace and frightening people with their "Happy Mask Shop" masks. The adults gossiped and frolicked with the playing children. The laughs and shouts echoed around the Kingdom as the peaceful people went about their business and enjoyed themselves. There was one man who was not joining in with the fun and laughter however, he sat alone, high above Kakariko village, watching the hustle and bustle below. Link rubbed his eyes and stood up. He stood there for a while, letting the cool breeze of the mountain air blow against his face. He always got reminiscent around this time of year, but this year was special, it was seven years since he defeated the evil Ganondorf... but at the same time, it was also today. Only he remembers the Alternative future he was shown by the Master Sword during his adventure through time. A future he stopped from ever existing by defeating the deformed Ganon and with help from the seven Sages, sealed him away. He thought of his relationship with Princess Zelda. She had asked him to become a her personal guard but he turned her down. Link wasn't the sort of person who could take a job that tied him down, he was lived his childhood unable to leave his home, the forest of the Kokiri, and then he found there was a huge Kingdom beyond the border of the trees, and that there was a whole wide world out there, beyond the Kingdom. Termina, Labrynna, Holodrum, Link traveled far and wide, and yet, he was always drawn back here. Is it because this is where every thing started? Or is because of... Her. Zelda. He knew he loved her, but she was a Princess and he was just a peasant boy. He pushed out all these stupid thoughts of Zelda out of his mind and stared out across the plains towards Gerudo Valley, the heat from the sun creating a haze around the whole desert, completely blocking out the raging sandstorm within. Link dusted off his tunic and picked up his sword and shield and hitched them onto his back. He looked towards the long trail back down the mountain then he looked back at the steep slope leading straight to the bottom. He let out a smile, and ran towards the edge. He jumped and landed on the slope, his arms outstretched to help him keep his balance, he let out a laugh and an exited howl as he picked up speed, the wind rushed into his face, he leapt over rocks and flipped over small ravines, and then, from nowhere, something snagged his foot. He reached out to stop himself from falling too hard but he was moving much too fast and as he ploughed head first into a large boulder, Link was plunged into darkness.  
"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Came a voice from the blackness surrounding Link. "YOUR HIGHNESS, WHERE ARE YOU!?" Link struggled to wake up, Something had happened to the Princess and here he was out cold after trying to surf down a mountain, "Idiot..." he thought to himself. His eyes slowly opened, he could see several blurred faces around him, but he still couldn't focus properly.  
"Whir's Z'lda?" He asked groggily "I'v gut t' r'scue th' Pr'nsess!"  
"Princess? Sire, are you okay?" That was Impa's voice, Princess Zelda's Hand Maiden. He tried to focus on her face and slowly, the image sharpened. "Lie still Your Highness, you are bleeding." Impa informed him. Link tried to get up, there was something wrong, something he couldn't put his finger on.....  
"Your Highness?" asked Link as realization finally dawned. "Impa, why did you call me Your Highness?" Impa looked at him, her face a mixture of puzzlement and worry.  
"Sire, can you not remember who you are?" She asked him.  
"Of course I know who I am, I am Link of the Kokiri, the Hero of Time!" He said, beginning to feel angry at Impa's implication. "Who do YOU think I am?"  
"You are King Link I of Hyrule, sire." The whole world began spinning very fast before Link's eyes, He felt his legs give way and his stomach tense, he tried to hold back but it was too late, the last thing he saw was his own vomit before he blacked out again.  
Link awoke to the sound of water, not the sound of natural water in a stream or lake but the slow, steady sound of hot water filling a bath. He could smell lavender and jasmine carried along by the steam. He began to become more aware of his surroundings and realized he was in a large king sized bed, with white satin sheets and real feather pillows, he was wearing a white silk nightshirt and had a bandage around his head. He rolled over and pulled the pillow into his face, savoring this change from his wooden plank and hay bed at Lon Lon. He took a deep breath and he could smell a lilac scent on the fabric. "Lilac" thought Link. "Zelda's hair smelled of...." and then he was awake, suddenly the surroundings became a lot clearer. The large ornate mirror, the huge arced window with heavy blood red velvet curtains, the carved deku dressing table, Link was in Hyrule Castle. No, Link was in Zelda's bedroom! he began to sweat, his mind raced with questions. How did he get here, does Zelda know he's here, is being half naked in the princess' chamber, in her bed, a crime? "Don't be an idiot Link, of course it's a crime! The King will have my head for this!" He leapt out of bed and landed on his face after his legs buckled under him. He heard a noise from the next room and footsteps coming closer and instinctively ducked and rolled under the bed. He couldn't see what was happening because the bed clothes were blocking his view but he could hear a commotion. Words and sentences filtered through like "Find the King", "Concussion", "Stupid boy" and "Amnesia". Link wasn't sure who Amnesia was but it sounded like they were fetching the King so he didn't want to stay around to find out. When the foot steps died away he crawled out from under the bed and began looking for his tunic and the rest of his belongings. they didn't appear to be lying around so Link decided that his only course of action was to check the cupboards and drawers. He opened the largest of the two great wardrobes and found himself face to face with the princess' extravagant outfits, he looked at the vast number and thought about his tunic, he had three but his red goron one made him freeze in normal weather and he found it hard to breath properly in his blue zora tunic so all he really had was his green one. He wore it day in, day out, washing it in streams when it became to dirty and smelly and here he was looking at all these outfits, he felt slightly embarrassed. Link closed the doors and opened the smaller wardrobe next to it. This one contained men's clothes, mostly regal wear but Link managed to find a sky blue tunic with embroidered edging. He pulled it on over his night shirt and pulled on a pair of riding boots from the bottom of the wardrobe. He looked at himself and thought he looked quite good, maybe if he had a bath, almost regal, Maybe Zelda would... Just then Impa's words flashed in to his mind "You are King Link I of Hyrule, sire." and he staggered a bit, he looked back at the reflection and thought that it must of been a dream, but, how did he get into the princess' bed chamber? He shook his head and walked over to the window and looked down to the courtyard below. He saw the sun, once again high in the sky, the birds singing in the apple trees, the smell of summer blooms. He jumped as he felt a pair of hands touch his side and wrap themselves around his waist, lips as soft as the summer breeze kiss the back of his neck. The sweat was pouring from his brow, "What is going on here?" he thought. He slowly twisted himself in the arms to see who had snuck up on him, who had held him so tight and kissed so soft.  
"PRINCESS ZELDA!?" he exclaimed, she looked up at him and pulled back. Link looked at her, she was wearing an elegant Violet dress that shimmered with all the colours of the rainbow and her hair had been let down and glistened in the light of the sun. Link tried to speak but no words came.  
"Princess?" She asked, "You have not called me that for a year gone by." Link was confused, he had had spoken to Zelda only a week ago and he had referred to her as Princess.  
"Then what do I call you?" he asked her. She reached up and touched a cut on his cheek and looked him in the eyes. Time seemed to slow for Link, almost to a halt, as he watched the light dance in her pale blue eyes. He would only have to lean forward ever so slightly to steal a kiss from her lips. He could feel his mouth dry and his muscles tense as he slowly started to lean.  
"My people call me Queen Zelda the Fifth, you call me.... your wife" She replied as she moved forward and kissed his wound. Link pulled away from her and looked at her shocked. He didn't know which had stunned him most, the fact that Zelda believes that they are married, or that she had just kissed him for the second time.  
"Wife? But... when? How? I don't understand!" He said, the fear evident in his voice. the pain in his head was getting worse, he couldn't think straight and Zelda standing in front of him, more beautiful than he had ever seen her wasn't helping.  
"We married on yesterday passed, one year ago." She explained in a comforting voice. "You disappeared yesterday morning before the sun rose, to fetch a gift for me and when you had not returned by midday, I sent Impa and the guards to find you." Link moved across the room and sat on the bed.  
"Yesterday was the seventh year anniversary of the day I defeated Ganondorf, I spent the whole day on Death Mountain watching the world below me and remembering a what it could have been like..." Zelda walked towards like and knelt in front of him, taking his hands.  
"Ganondorf? Link, Impa and the men found you not far from Kakariko village, you had suffered a severe blow to the head...... Impa believes you have amnesia...."  
"I've never even heard of this Amnesia person! Why would I have her?" Link replied hotly, he stayed sitting down however because the room was still spinning.  
"Amnesia isn't a person, my love." Zelda explained softly, still stroking his hands, "It means you hit your head so hard that it made you forget things. Forget.... me...." Zelda lowered her head and Link felt tiny drips on his hands, He looked at Zelda and saw that her shoulders were shaking and he could make out soft, stifled sobs. He took her hand in his and gently rubbed them. He wanted to pull her close and tell her everything would be okay, that he really was her husband and live here with her forever.  
"I'm sorry" However, was all he could manage. Zelda leapt up, wrapping her arms around him tight and breaking down completely. Link held her and rubbed her back, but he was still extremely confused. Impa chose this moment to intervene and let out a cough that was probably louder than it needed to be. Zelda managed to regain her composure and stood up. She took Link's hand and looked him in the eyes.  
"I, Zelda, Princess of the kingdom of Hyrule vow before my people and my gods to declare my love. I stand before Din and give to you the fire in my heart, my love everlasting. I stand before Nayru and give to you my spirit and wisdom to guide you, I stand before Farore and give to you my soul and to share with you, our children to come. Now rise My King. My husband. My equal...." and with that she tuned and left. Link couldn't say a thing as he watched her leave. Impa sat next to him.  
"Those words were the words she spoke on the day of her marriage." She said quietly. "But you are not our King. Are you Link?" Link was still watching the doorway Zelda left by, her scent was still mingling around in the air. He turned and looked at Impa.  
"I don't know what is going on here but I never married Princess Zelda." Impa stood up.  
"I thought as much. and it is Queen Zelda. King or no, her title does not change." Link stood up and looked straight at Impa.  
"I want my things back. I'll need them if I'm to get home." Their gaze locked for what seemed like hours but was, in reality, only seconds.  
"Your clothes shall be returned to you tomorrow, cleaner than they have ever been I would bet." She replied. "the rest of your equipment you will find in the armory." Again there was a silence between them. "And how do you plan to return?" She asked him. Link couldn't answer, how could he? He didn't know how he got here in the first place. He could throw himself off death Mountain again but there is no guarantee that would work let alone that he would survive. He rubbed his head and thought. Who could he ask? Assuming that this Hyrule was essentially identical to his own, the people would be too. So, who did he know? The Zoras wouldn't be able to help. Neither would the Gorons. The Deku Tree? Probably not...... That big owl might know.... But who knows where it will be next. There's always the sages he thought. "I'll go to the Temple of Time and ask the Sages." He said. "They'll know what to do. I'm sure of it,"  
"Temple of Time?" asked Impa. "Where is that?"  
"What do you mean?" He asked, his voice suddenly full of dread. "It's by Hylia Market!" He didn't wait for Impa's answer, he ran to the window and looked down on the marketplace. "Nothing..." he whispered. "There is nothing there." he turned on Impa, his rage showing. "Where is it? Where is the resting place of the Master Sword?" Impa's face whitened.  
"You know of the Master Sword?" She asked him.  
"Of course I do! How do you think I defeated Ganondorf?" Replied Link. Impa backed away  
"you did what?" She was shaking now. "You defeated the Evil Ganon?" Link could sense something in her voice. It was fear. He'd heard it before, many times. Was she afraid of him? Was she afraid of the Hero of Time? Then it clicked. He looked back out of the window, once again towards Gerudo... Towards a black tower. She was afraid of Ganon. He was still alive.  
"Where is the Master Sword?" Asked Link in a calm voice.  
"You can't! It's suicide!" Cried Impa. She clutched him by the arm.  
"Tell me where it is Impa" he said, in a slow, steady voice. "I think I just found my way home." Link turned round to face Impa and she saw that he was smiling. Not the smile of the insane but the smile of someone who knows something you don't. Who knows what they're doing.  
"It's..... Hidden, in the Lost Woods. But Hylian's cannot go there! there is a power in those woods! They are evil, don't go!" She pleaded. Link took her hand.  
"where was your King raised?" he asked. "He was born and raised here, In Hylia wasn't he?" Impa nodded and Link laughed, giving her a start. "It's all making sense now, you see" he told her "I was raised in the Kokiri Forest. I will get the Master Sword and I will defeat Ganon."


End file.
